Aristides h



vp40. 624,655. Patented May 9, I899. A. H. JACOT.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed Apr. 28, 1898.) v

(No Model.)

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I M w S WITNESSES: INVENTOR .flnatzdaalf Jicot.

M I V f I BY ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARISTIDES H. JACOT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 624,655, dated May 9, 1899.

I Application filed April 28, 1898. Serial No. 679,083. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARISTIDES H. J AOOT, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at New York, (Stapletom) Richmond county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is'a full,

inexpensive, and effective nature which will be precise in action and time, and which will be durable, and which'will permit the ready substitution of tune sheets or disks designed to execute different melodies and compositions.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

A is one of a series of star-wheels mounted upon a supporting-shaft a in such a manner as to be capable of rotation independent of the other star-wheels of the series.

.B is a musical comb. ,7

B B are teeth which are preferably provided on each comb (where more than one comb is used) in a number equal to the number of star-wheels A. These comb-teeth B project slightly into the path of movement of their respective star-wheels.

Directly above the star-Wheels A is a notedisk D, said disk being perforated at suitable places for the purposehereinafter described. This disk D is held just above the path of movement of the teeth upon the star-wheels A by the well-known supportingplate or, preferably, by antifriction -rolls E, any desired number of which may be provided. Such rollers E should be in diameter not less than the extreme diameter of the star-wheels A, thus preventing the arms of the star-wheel from being engaged by the note-disk D. Di-

. operating the sound-producing devices.

to yieldingly bear upon the upper surface of the note-disk D. I have spoken of the pin-' ions F as driving-pinions; but it will be understood that these pinions are driven by any desired mechanism, such as the note-disk D, said pinions in turn serving to drive the star-Wheels A. In the idle position of each of. the driving-pinions two of its teeth are staggered downwardly from its pivotal axis and lightly bear upon the upper surface of the note-disk D. When the disk is revolved the first leg or tooth of the driving-pinion, the arm G will cause the said tooth to be projected into and through said perforation, and the disk continuing to advance will rotate said pinion a distance equal to the distance between two of its adjacent teeth. During the rotating movement of the driving-pinion F the tooth which projects through the perforation in the disk will engage the star-wheel A and trip the same one tooth, causing one of the other teeth on said star-wheel to contact with and vibrate one of the teeth upon the musical comb. It should be understood, of course, that where two combs are provided one star-wheel may have the capacity of actuating one tooth on each of said combs at the same time.

Thus far I have described the means for Another feature of my invention is the provision of a pressure-frame I to insure the proper position of the note-disk D, which frame may also be operated to permit the removal or substitution of other disks. The frame I is hinged at t' in a line to one side of the line determined by the series of star-wheels. Suitable catches'K K are provided, which when said frameI is lowered to the operative posi tiou engage with suitable slots m m in the stationary independent supportsM M, so as to detachablyhold said frame I in a given position. The post M is preferably the cenand a perforation therein is brought under desired, may be carried by the frame I to' constitute a supplementary means to press upon the upper surface of the note-disk D;

but I have found that the same are not necessary in all instances, as the pressure produced by the series of spring-pressed drivingpinions F, together with the weight of the disk D, may be sufficient to hold the latter down into a proper plane of action. Furthermore, by the use of the means hereinbefore described it is not absolutely necessary that the disk D be held down into a positive fixed plane, as is necessary in all musical boxes now known of this type. This is true because the carrying-arms G for the drivingpinions F are arranged so as to project the teeth of said driving-pinions through the perforations in the disk a predetermined distance, so as to properly engage and actuate the star-wheels A. This is effected by means of a suitable stop, such as g, which permits the said arm G to be depressed a given distance. Iherefore,assu mi n g the disk D should at one or more points be slightly bent, as is frequently the case, so that the bent portion will be elevated slightly above its true position, nevertheless when a perforation passes under the driving-pinion the leg or tooth of said pinion, which projects through said opening, will move down said predetermined distance and contact with, advance, and disengage froin the star-wheel A in exactly the proper and intended manner, all of which is most important to the successful and accurate operation of the instrument, where precision of action and time play a most important part. Thus it will be seen that this device differs from all other known devices of this type for producing perfect and uniform action independent of the exact position of the note-disk D. I v

The operation of the pressure-bar to effect the removal of one disk and the substitution of another is simply to release the catches by pressing upon the projections L' L,whereupon the frame I may be swung upwardly and rearwardly, freeing the disk and enabling the operator to remove the same and substitute another.

Of course a disk need not necessarily be employed, as a long perforated note-sheet might be substituted without involving any radical change in the construction or mode of operation of the parts of the device that constitute the subject-matter of this invention. So, also, other sound-producin g devices of an appropriate nature might be substituted in place of the musical comb.

.ed to be actuated thereby,- and driving-pinions, spring-pressed toward said wheels and adapted to operate the same, and allowing a clearance between the same for the insertion of a controlling tunesheet, and supporting means for said tune-sheet located between said wheels close to the point of contact of said wheels and pinions and projecting above said wheels when said wheels are at rest.

2. In an automatic musical instrument in combination, a series of star-wheels, soundproducing devices adjacent thereto and adapted to be actuated thereby, driving-pinions, spring-pressed toward said wheels and adapted to operate the same, and allowing a clearance between the same for the insertion of a controlling tune-sheet, and supporting means for said tune-sheet, embracing an antifriction-roll close to the point of contact of said wheels and pinions, projecting above said wheels when said wheels are at rest.

3. In an automatic musical instrument in combination, a series of star-wheels, soundproducing devices adjacent thereto and adapted to be actuated thereby, a relativelyremovable support above said wheels, and driving-pinions spring-pressed toward said wheels and adapted to operate the same, carried by said support and removable therewith from their operative position.

4. In an automatic musical instrument in combination, a series of star-wheels, soundproducing devices adjacent thereto and adapted to be actuated thereby, a relativelyremovable support above said star-wheels, and driving-pinions, spring-pressed toward said wheels and adapted to operate the same, carried by said support, said pinions being independently movable with relation to each other, and said series being removable with said support from their operative position.

5. In an automatic musical instrument in combination, a series of star-wheels, soundproducing devices adjacent thereto and adapted to be actuated thereby, a relativelyremovable support above said star-wheels, and driving-teeth, spring-pressed toward said wheels and adapted to operate the same, carried by said support, said teeth being independently movable with relation to each other, said series being removable with said support from their operative position, and supplementary means located above said wheels close to the point of contact of said wheels and pinions and exerting a pressure toward said wheels.

Signed at New York this 27th day of April, 1898.

ARISTIDES H. JAOOT.

Witnesses:

R. O. MITcHnLL, EMERSON B. NEWELL. 

